Stephen Curry wants to play, but he’s ‘run my ankle into the ground by trying to play on it while it’s injured’

Warriors point guard Stephen Curry spoke publicly for the first time since re-aggravating his balky right ankle in a 97-93 victory over the Clippers on March 11, saying after Monday’s practice, “I’ve run my ankle into the ground by trying to play on it while it’s injured. It’s time to keep the grand scheme of my career in the forefront and worry about that.”

Curry on Thursday went to see Dr. Richard Ferkel, a foot and ankle specialist based in Southern California, and his findings are expected to be announced this week. Here’s a look at the full Curry interview:

What did you learn from Dr. Ferkel?: “We were just trying to get an outside opinion from someone who has seen a lot of ankles. Thankfully, he didn’t come back with terrible news right away. That’s the best thing I could take away from the visit. He’s going over the images from the whole year and studying the history of my ankle. He’ll give me a recommendation on how to move forward from here.”

Did he give you any hope for playing this season?: “He didn’t say surgery now, so that was big. I had that same situation last year, when I went to Dr. Mark Myerson in Baltimore for some ideas about rehab exercises. He dropped the bomb that my ligaments were done and surgery was necessary. He told me that right on the spot, so it was good to not hear that this time around. Hopefully, whatever (Ferkel) does have to say, it won’t start with ‘S.’”

Are you prepared for any type of news?: “I’ve just been sticking to my rehab and watching these guys play. I haven’t really thought about the options, other than trying to play as soon as possible. I want to get healthy, but I also want to play and finish the season strong. If there’s a reason why I should sit out the rest of the year, I’ve obviously got to listen to that, but I hope that’s not the case.”

Is it any easier to sit now than it was before?: “It’s still tough. It’s just been a frustrating season for me, personally. I still want to be around to cheer my teammates on. It’s frustrating when the adrenaline starts flowing and you want to be out there.”

Can you get to 100 percent this season?: “That’s a great question. When you’re trying to compete, your 100 percent is not truly 100 percent. You just feel like you want to be able to play when you can move around – even when you know there’s something still wrong with it. Now, it’s about being pain free. Today was the first time I shot on the move since I got hurt, and I didn’t have any pain there. Hopefully, I can get back to 100 percent. There’s still five weeks left in the season, and I’ve already been out two weeks.”

Most think you should shut it down: “If I get to 100 percent and I’m not at risk of doing the same thing again, it’d be nice to get back out there. It’s a long time until October. It’s a long time to not log minutes in an actual game. We’re still competing, so, if I’m ready to go, it’s my job to go out there.”

What’s the motivation to get back out there this season?: “At this point, I’ve run my ankle into the ground by trying to play on it while it’s injured. It’s time to keep the grand scheme of my career in the forefront and worry about that. I don’t want to come back next year with a healthy lineup, and I’m the only one who’s banged up. I don’t want that to be the case.”